Frame for folding furniture

ABSTRACT

The back and seat of the chair or chaise are each constructed of a U-shaped frame to which a decorative sheet of vinyl film is secured and over which a clear or slightly tinted vinyl tube is wound. In addition, the vinyl tube is heat-sealed to the sheet of vinyl film along a pair of lines so as to provide a further reinforced seat or back.

United States Patent Donald J. Borichevsky Wells, Vt.

Mar. 12, 1969 Nov. 30, 1971 The Telescope Folding Furniture Co., inc. Granville, N.Y.

lnventor Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee FRAME FOR FOLDING FURNITURE 11 Claims, 12 Drawing Figs. I

U.S. Cl 297/452,

297/39, 297/D1G. 2, 297/445, 160/327 Int. Cl A47c 7/02, A47c 4/28 Field oiSearch 160/135,

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 3,231,008 111966 Seckel 160/327 X 3,476,169 11/1969 Militano...'.... 160/371 X 3,222,696 12/1965 Grimshaw 297/452 X 3,295,590 1/1967 Pearlstine". 160/327 Primary Examiner-Casmir A. Nunberg Attorney-Kenyon & Kenyon Reilly Carr & Chapin ABSTRACT: The back and seat of the chair or chaise are each constructed of a U-shaped frame to which a decorative sheet of vinyl film is secured and over which a clear or slightly tinted vinyl tube is wound. in addition, the vinyl tube is heat-sealed to the sheet of vinyl film along a pair of lines so as to provide a further reinforced seat or back.

PATENTEDNUV 3019" SHEET 10F 3 Z4 2 \3 Tl l.

INVENTOR.

PATENTEDNUV 30 19'" Ti T12.

FRAME FOR FOLDING FURNITURE This invention relates to a reinforced frame for foldable furniture. MOre particularly, this invention relates to a frame for a back, seat or foot rest for a foldable chair or chaise.

Heretofore, it has been known to construct foldable furniture, such as chairs and chaises, especially for outdoor use, of various types of materials. For example, such furniture has been formed with seats and backs or, in the case of a chaise, with foot rests which are formed of material which has been wound around a frame and secured thereto. In some instances, the material has been of a fabric nature such as woven canvas and laminated vinyl nylon or of a tubular nature such as vinyl tubing. In those instances where the fabric has been of a fabric nature, the material tends to pull away from the means securing the material to the frame upon being subjected to shock loadings by an occupant. In those instances where the fabric has been of a laminated vinyl nylon, the material has been relatively hot to sit upon since the material does not breathe to permit cooling between an occupant and the material. In those instances where the seating material has been vinyl tubing, the stretch imposed on the tubing has generally been distributed unevenly and in some cases the windings have become unduly stretched and would not recover, in which case the vinyl tubing could end up overlapping each other and in some instances unravel from the aluminum frame. In order to overcome any of the above problems the vinyl tubing has been heat-sealed together. For example, after the tubing has been wound onto a frame member, a pair of vinyl tapes are laid transversely between the front and rear windings of the tubing and a suitable heat-seal machine is used to heat-seal the straps to the tubings. In this way, the stress concentrations imposed upon the tubing by an occupant of the chair or chaise are resisted by a plurality of windings of tubing as a unit rather than through each of the windings of the tube individually. However, while this type of structure has been sufficient for nominal use by an occupant, such has required a relatively large thickness in order to withstand the stresses which may be imposed thereon.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide foldable furniture with a reinforced seat or back.

It is another object of the invention to provide a foldable chair with a seat or back rest of cooled construction.

It is another object of the invention to provide a foldable chair with a reinforced back and/or seat of decorative material.

Briefly, the invention provides a frame for folding furniture which is of reinforced construction and decorative appearance. The frame is usable for a seat and/or back and/or foot rest. For example, the frame is constructed of a U-shaped tubular frame across which a sheet of material containing a decorative pattern is secured and around which windings of clear or slightly tinted plastic are wound and secured to the U- shaped frame. In addition, the tubing is secured to the sheet of material along at least one transverse line.

In one embodiment, the sheet of material is formed, for example, of a triple lamination consisting of two laminations of 6 mil which are separately printed with identical floral patterns and an inner core lamination of a block-out film. In another embodiment, the sheet of material is formed of a single solid opaque white film, for example, of 12 or 14 mil gauge which is printed on both sides. In still another embodiment, the sheet of material is formed of a single 12 or 14 gauge clear vinyl film which is printed with a pattern on only one side. In this embodiment, the pattern shows through the film sufficiently to appear to be printed on both sides. Also, transparent inks can be used on the clear film to get a stained glass effect when sunlight shines through the back or front of a chair depending on the line of sight. Further, the clear film can be slightly tinted and used with a matching colored tubing wound thereabout to impart a further esthetic effect.

From a mechanical viewpoint, by securing the tubing to the sheet of material, such as by heat-sealing, any stress which is placed on one or more windings of the tubes is transmitted to the remainder of the tubes through the sheet of material to all the windings. Further, from a comfort viewpoint, by disposing the tubing over a sheet of vinyl film, for example, a degree of coolness can be obtained because the irregular shape of the tubing keeps an occupants body from intimate contact with the flat vinyl sheet film. Also, to further provide coolness, the sheet of vinyl film can be perforated with various size holes to permit aeration.

The invention thus provides a frame which can be used for a back rest, seat or foot rest which is not only strong in construction but also is decorative in appearance. Because of the strength of the frame, such can withstand large shock loadings which sometimes are imposed upon a chair or chaise constructed with such frames. Further, it is noted that any load which is placed upon a seat or back is transmitted through the tubings and sheet of material. In this regard, the material sheet and tubing act as a unit since the tubing and sheet are secured to each other. Consequently, the load is transmitted through all the various securing means for securing the tubing and sheet to the U-shaped frame so that any large stress concentration at one point is prevented.

The invention also provides a reinforced frame for a chair or chaise which can be easily and quickly manufactured. In this regard, the frame can be manufactured by first cutting and sizing a sheet of material such as a vinyl film sheet to size and securing the film sheet, for example, by threaded screws or by glue or vinyl paste means, to a U-shaped frame of tubular construction. Thereafter, one end of a strip of tubing of vinyl is secured to the U-shaped frame and wound about the U-shaped frame and vinyl sheet for a distance approximately half way down the frame. Next, a second strip of tubing can be wound in similar fashion about the remainder of the vinyl sheet and U-shaped frame. Finally, the frame with the tubing and vinyl sheet thereon can be passed through a heat-sealing machine in a one-pass operation so that the tubing is heat-sealed to the vinyl sheet along, for example, two lines. The completed frame can then be incorporated into a chair or chaise construction to function as a back rest, seat or foot rest.

It is noted that various decorative illusions can be created simply by changing the design or pattern on the sheet of material. Also, the sheet can be provided with similar patterns on front and back so as to present a continuity of appearance to the chair or chaise in which it is incorporated. Alternatively, different patterns can be used for the front and back as desired.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a folding chair incorporating a frame of the invention:

F IG. 2 illustrates a perspective rear view of the chair of FIG.

FIG. 3 illustrates a view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a means of securing the sheet of material and tubing to the frame of a chair according to the invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a view taken on line 55 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 illustrates a view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 1 wherein the tubing is secured to the sheet of material;

FIG. 7 illustrates a fragmentary front view at the place where the tubing is secured to the sheet of material;

FIGS. 8 to 10 illustrate views of the frame during different steps in the process of constructing the frame;

FIG. I1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a frame prior to securing of the sheet of material to the tubing; and

FIG. 12 illustrates a means of securing the tubing to the sheet of material.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the collapsible chair 15 is constructed with a leg assembly 16 of conventional structure and arm assemblies 17, also of conventional structure. In addition, the chair 15 is constructed with a seat 18 and a back rest 19.

The seat and back rest are made of identical structure and therefore only the back rest will be described for clarity.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, the back rest 19 is constructed of a frame which includes a tubular U-shaped frame 20, for example, of hollow aluminum construction, a sheet of material 21, and a tubing, for example, of clear or tinted plastic material. The sheet of material 21 is provided with a decorative pattern on both the front and rear surfaces and is secured across the U-shaped frame 20 by means of suitable securing means 23, such as threaded screws. In addition to the pattern, the sheet of material 21 can be multicolored on both the front and rear surfaces. The sheet of material is formed from an opaque white film of vinyl plastic, for example, of approximately l2- gauge thickness, and can be made with either three laminations or of two laminations. In the event that the film is made of three laminations, the inner lamination is a block-out film so that light is prevented from passing through the film from one side to the other. In the event that the film is of two laminations, an opaque white film is used for each lamination. In either event, the film is made so that light will not distort the various patterns on the two surfaces of material. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pattern 24 which is imposed on the front and rear surfaces of the material can be identical or can be different from each other depending upon the aesthetic appearance desired.

The tubing 22 is of a light-gauge vinyl plastic and is wound about the frame 20 and sheet of material 21 in a plurality of windings 25. The windings 25 are substantially continuous about the frame and are disposed in substantially contiguous relationship to each other. Since the tubing is of clear or slightly tinted material, the patterns 24 on the sheet of material are visible through the tubing windings 25. The tubing 22 is formed of one or more strips, each of which is wound about the frame from one end to the other. For example, referring to FIG. 4, one end of the tubing strip is secured by a suitable securing means such as a threaded screw 26 to the inside of the U-shaped frame 20 and the remainder of the tube is wound about the frame and sheet of material 21. The other end of the tubing strip is similarly secured to the U-shaped frame .20 at the other end.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 6 and 7, in order to further reinforce the frame for the seat or back rest, the windings 25 of tubing 22 are secured, as by heat-sealing, to the sheet of vinyl material 21 along two transverse lines 27. Each of these lines is spaced apart at approximately the third points of the frame and integrally secure the windings 25 to the sheet of material 21. For example, each winding 25 has a pair of sections 28 of elongated shape which are heat-sealed to the sheet of vinyl material 21 in each line 27 on both the front and rear surface of the frame. Each transverse line 27 further extends for approximately one-half inch to 1 inch so that a depression is formed in the contour of the respective windings 25 of the tubing across the front and rear surfaces of the frame.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 5, the windings 25 of the tubing 22 are free of any connection to the sheet of material 21 at the points between the transverse lines 27 and the U-shaped frame 20. Further, the sections of the windings 25 which are to the rear of the frame, that is, the rear surface of the sheet of material 21, are spaced from the material at the outer third sections. Thus, when a load is applied to the back rest 19, for example, by an occupant resting against the back rest 19, the windings 25 of the tubing 22 deform into an irregular crosssectional shape without distorting the sheet of material 21. Furthermore, this irregular shape of the tubing maintains the occupants body from intimate contact with the sheet of material 21. Where the sheet of material is of a vinyl film material, this avoids any creation of the hot condition which has been known to exist in similar furniture wherein the person of the occupant intimately contacts a vinyl or similar plastic surface. In addition, in order to provide for further coolness for the occupant, the sheet of material 21 can be provided with perforations 29 of various sizes starting from a minute size to a substantially large size. These perforations 29 permit a flow of air to pass through the sheet of material so as toimpart a breathing quality to the frame.

Referring to FIGS. 8 to 10, in order to construct a frame for the seat 18 or back rest 19. the sheet of material 21 is initially cut and shaped to size. Next, the sheet of material is laid across the U-shaped tubular frame 20 and secured thereto by means of the threaded screws 23 (FIG. 9). As shown, the sheet of material 21 is sized to extend from the front of the frame 20 to the rear so that the screws 23 are secured to the rear of the frame 20 with respect to the material 21. Thereafter, the strip of tubing 22 is secured at one end to the frame 20 by a threaded screw 26 and subsequently wound about the frame and sheet of material 21 in a continuous fashion from the top of the frame 20 to the bottom (FIG. 10). Upon reaching the bottom of the frame, substantially at the lower edge of the sheet of material 21, the tubing is severed and secured as by another screw 26 (not shown) to the frame 20. his noted that the tubing can be secured at intermediate points to the U- shaped frame 20 by further screws 26. In such cases, the threaded screws can pass directly through the underlying sheet of material 21 into the frame 20.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, in order to secure the windings 25 of the tubing 22 to the sheet of material 21, the frame after securement of the tubing 22 as above is passed as a unit into a heat-sealing apparatus 30. This heat-sealing apparatus 30 is of suitable construction and includes two pairs of sealing heads 31 disposed in opposed relationship. The frame is positioned between these sealing heads 31 so that the respective sealing heads 31 are disposed at approximately the third points of the frame on opposite sides of the sheet of material 21. Next, the sealing heads are brought together against the windings 25 so as to heat-seal the windings 25 to the sheetof material 21 on the front and rear surfaces along the two transverse lines 27 described above. The frame in which the tubing is now integrally connected to the sheet of material 21 is then removed from the frame. The frame can then be incorporated into a foldable chair or chaise, for example, as shown in Fig. 1, as the seat 18 or back rest 19.

The invention thus provides a frame which can be incorporated into folding furniture, especially for outdoor use, so as not only to provide a reinforced supporting surface but also to provide a decorative appearance. In this regard, since the windings of the tubing of plastic material are each individually secured to the sheet of material underlying the tubing at a number of points, any stress which is imparted to one or more windings is transferred directly to the sheet of material and therefrom to the remainder of the windings and to the U- shaped frame about which the tubing and sheet of material are secured. Because of this distribution of the stresses, the material imposes a more uniform stress on the securing means which secure the sheet and tubing to the U-shaped frame. Further, because of the relatively great resistance of the frame to oppose stresses, the thickness of the tubing and underlying sheet of material can be made of relatively thin gauge than if used separately or without being integrally secured together.

Also, since the tubing is of a material which provides viewing of the underlying sheet of material and the sheet of material is provided with a decorative pattern, the frame adds a degree of aesthetic value to the furniture incorporating the frame without detracting from the structural requirements of the furniture.

It is further noted that the invention provides a chair or chaise which is capable of breathing so as to avoid any hot spots between an occupant and the materials of the chair. This quality is further enhanced by the use of perforations in the underlying sheet of material which allows air to flow through the sheet of material to further aid in the cooling effect.

It is further noted that while the frame of the invention has been described above as relating to folding furniture, such as chairs or chaises, that such can be used for any type of support for a person. For example, the frame can be used as a sloped back rest, a seat or for a folding or nonfolding cot. Of course, in these instances, the tubular frame about which the tubing and sheet of material are wound could be of a rectangular construction rather than a U-shaped construction in order to form a closed unit.

What is claimed is:

l. A frame for folding furniture comprising a rigid frame defining an open space, a sheet of material secured to opposite sides of said frame and extending across the open space, and a tubing wound about said frame and said sheet of material in a plurality of windings, said tubing being secured to said frame and to said sheet of material intermediately thereof to transfer stress imparted to one or more of said windings directly to said sheet and therefrom to the remainder of said windings and to said frame.

2. A frame as set forth in claim 1 wherein said tubing is heatsealed to said sheet of material along a pair of transverse lines.

3. A frame as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sheet of material is formed of vinyl and said tube is vinyl.

4. A frame as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sheet of material is opaque and has a decorative pattern on at least one surface thereof and said tubing is clear.

5. A foldable chair having a back rest, and a seat; at least said back rest comprising a U-shaped frame defining an open space, a sheet of material secured across said frame and the open space, and a tubing secured to and wound around said frame and said sheet of material in a plurality of windings, each said winding being integrally secured at spaced positions to intermediate portions of said sheet to transfer stress imparted to one or more of said windings directly to said sheet and therefrom to the remainder of said windings and to said frame.

6. A foldable chair as set forth in claim 5 wherein said tubing is of clear plastic material and is secured to said sheet of material along a pair of lines perpendicular to the windings of said tubing.

7. A foldable chair as set forth in claim 6 wherein said sheet of material is opaque and has at least one decorative surface thereon.

8. A foldable chair as set forth in claim 5 wherein said tubing is of a tinted transparent plastic material and said sheet of material has an opaque decorative surface on opposite sides thereof.

9. A foldable chair as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sheet of material is a single film of clear material containing an opaque pattern thereon.

10. A foldable chair as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sheet of material is a clear film having a transparent ink pattern thereon.

11. A foldable chair as set forth in claim 10 wherein said clear film is slightly tinted in color and said tubing is of a matching tinted color to said sheet. 

1. A frame for folding furniture comprising a rigid frame defining an open space, a sheet of material secured to opposite sides of said frame and extending across the open space, and a tubing wound about said frame and said sheet of material in a plurality of windings, said tubing being secured to said frame and to said sheet of material intermediately thereof to transfer stress imparted to one or more of said windings directly to said sheet and therefrom to the remainder of said windings and to said frame.
 2. A frame as set forth in claim 1 wherein said tubing is heat-sealed to said sheet of material along a pair of transverse lines.
 3. A frame as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sheet of material is formed of vinyl and said tube is vinyl.
 4. A frame as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sheet of material is opaque and has a decorative pattern on at least one surface thereof and said tubing is clear.
 5. A foldable chair having a back rest, and a seat; at least said back rest comprising a U-shaped frame defining an open space, a sheet of material secured across said frame and the open space, and a tubing secured to and wound around said frame and said sheet of material in a plurality of windings, each said winding being integrally secured at spaced positions to intermediate portions of said sheet to transfer stress imparted to one or more of said windings directly to said sheet and therefrom to the remainder of said windings and to said frame.
 6. A foldable chair as set forth in claim 5 wherein said tubing is of clear plastic material and is secured to said sheet of material along a pair of lines perpendiCular to the windings of said tubing.
 7. A foldable chair as set forth in claim 6 wherein said sheet of material is opaque and has at least one decorative surface thereon.
 8. A foldable chair as set forth in claim 5 wherein said tubing is of a tinted transparent plastic material and said sheet of material has an opaque decorative surface on opposite sides thereof.
 9. A foldable chair as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sheet of material is a single film of clear material containing an opaque pattern thereon.
 10. A foldable chair as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sheet of material is a clear film having a transparent ink pattern thereon.
 11. A foldable chair as set forth in claim 10 wherein said clear film is slightly tinted in color and said tubing is of a matching tinted color to said sheet. 